By Adam Newland, Protective Services tutor at North Hertfordshire College
Improving public safety is one of the most pressing issues facing our current Government, which is why they’ve named creating ‘Safer Streets’ as one of their five key missions in their Plan for Change informing policy making and funding decisions.
The Association of Colleges (AOC) has outlined how delivery of this Government-set mission already relies heavily on the existing work of institutions like colleges and calls for increased funding to the further-education sector to support this.
I’ve delivered Protective Services programmes for two years now, and know just how well these courses can develop frontline-ready first responders. The learning opportunities built into North Hertfordshire College’s Protective Services programmes are already contributing to improved public safety, and we’re working towards the ‘Safer Streets’ mission set out by the Government in a number of ways.
At North Hertfordshire College, we’ve partnered with Hertfordshire Constabulary to provide our Protective Services learners with real-life work experience opportunities which, in turn, have a positive impact on local public safety.
For many years, I’ve worked closely with Community Safety Unit Sergeant Chris Adshead to coordinate a series of work experience initiatives alongside serving police officers.
For example, a group of my students took part in Operation Augustine, an initiative designed to identify shopkeepers selling prohibited goods to under-18s.
Students aged 16-17 visited shops across Hertfordshire and attempted to purchase alcohol or knives. Students were either challenged or sold the contraband, which was then handed in to officers stationed outside of the shop.
This work experience opportunity not only furthered students’ understanding of police operations but led to a crackdown on the sale of prohibited goods to under-18s, improving the safety of young people across Hertfordshire.
NHC’s students also had the opportunity to contribute to Operation SARGUS, which formed part of Hertfordshire Constabulary’s wider initiative for the implementation of the Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) policy across Hertfordshire. My students were asked to take part by visiting hotels across Hertfordshire alongside much older male plainclothed police officers, who would then attempt to book a double room with the young learners.
The operation helped Hertfordshire Constabulary assess whether Child Protection procedures were being followed, informing further development of CSE prevention strategies for the protection of vulnerable young people across Hertfordshire.
Our partnership with the local police force enables my students to play an active role in improving community safety before they have even begun their protective services careers. It has provided our learners with contextualised insight into the sector, while providing marked improvements to public safety in Hertfordshire.
As the forces have played a key role in developing our aspiring frontline workers develop their skills, so too have our students supported the local services in their own skills training. My students have completed an armed policing training event with Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire Armed Policing Unit’s training day focused on the initial policing response to a Marauding Terrorist Attack (MTA). By acting as casualties in the session, our students played a key role in helping the forces refine their strategies and techniques to control and diffuse these situations. It also provided our students with first-hand experience of these strategies, helping prepare them for their future careers.
I can confidently say that colleges across the country, like North Hertfordshire College, are playing an active role in improving community safety. Not only are we training the next generation of these important service workers, we’re also building mutually beneficial relationships to make an impact in the here and now. This is just the beginning of how we’re working towards the Safer Streets mission – imagine what more investment could allow us to do.